BeeKeepClub’s Beekeeping Blog

What is Burr Comb? – Issues with Comb

What is Burr Comb

Any beekeeper, particularly beginners, would not want to come across burr combs in their beehives. Burr comb is formed out of the spaces that exist between the frames. The spacing should be as even as possible. Moreover, they should be just wide enough to allow for movement of the honey bees between the combs and the hive. This means that it should not be too large or too small. Burr combs connect one frame to a another nearby frame, or one frame to the wall of the beehive. This depends on where the space occurs. This is problematic for the beekeeper since the connected frames cannot be removed easily or safely. This is because the burr comb must first be broken before the frame can be pulled from the hive. This can take a lot of time to correct.

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Analyzing Honeycomb: Queen Cells/Comb

Queen Cells

The honeybee colony is complex by design and handle seamlessly a number of tasks: defense, communication, division of labor, food production, nest building, colony condition control, and many others. Within a colony exists a number of cells and it is crucial for the beekeeper to understand how each looks like. Knowing how to identify and analyzing queen cells is essential since this is where the future of the colony is pegged.

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The Importance of Honey Bees in Agriculture

Importance of Honey Bees in Agriculture

Bees are an important species impacting many aspects of human life, particularly agriculture. Plant production in agriculture requires fertilization of plant gametes. This is enabled by pollination, which is largely about the transfer of pollen grains from one section of the flower to another. In the best cases of pollination, pollen from one plant is transferred to another plant of the same species. This is called cross pollination. Genetic diversity in plants of the same species is better with cross pollination than with self pollination or vegetative growth of new plants. This article discusses the importance of honey bees in agriculture, and gives you a perspective on the roles all species play in sustaining life on Earth and how they impact ecosystems.

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How to Attract and Catch a Swarm of Bees

How to Attract and Catch a Swarm of Bees

Beekeepers seeking to expand their apiaries need to get honey bee swarms for new beehive boxes. To do this, you may either purchase package bees or catch a swarm of bees yourself. In this article, we'll discuss in detail how to attract and catch a swarm of bees. It also explores different ways to make sure the swarm you catch gets comfortable quickly in their new home.

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How to Install Package Bees – The Beginners Guide

Installing Package Bees

Beekeeping is a wonderful and satisfying activity for many people all over the world. It is a creative use of space for both conservation and profit purposes. Package bees are an excellent way for beekeepers to get started with a new hive. Installing package bees may also be used to strengthen weak colonies. This article will help you to have a smooth time as you will learn how to install package bees into your Langstroth top bar beehive.

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Beehive Kits: Inside and Out

Beehive Kits

The Honey Bee Social Structure Bees, like humans, have a very complex social structure, and beekeepers should understand this structure if they are to be successful. Honey bees are vegetarian and get their proteins from the pollen they eat. Honey bees also get carbohydrates from the honey that is made …

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How to Clean a Dead Beehive and Reuse it

Cleaning a Dead Beehive

It's not something that any beekeeper would ever wish for, but honeybee colonies can sometimes die off. There are various reasons for this happening ranging from the weather and diseases to pesticide chemicals. When an entire colony dies off, you have to clean the beehive and prepare it for its next use. In this article we will discuss how to clean a dead beehive and get it ready for a new colony of honeybees. Cleaning a dead beehive should have focus on all areas and parts of the hive. It also has a role in preventing re-occurrence of the mass death of honeybees.

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What is the Role of a Bee Broker?

Bee Broker

Honeybees serve a key role in agriculture for humans. The nectar collected by honeybees is used for making honey, and it is the only food made by an insect which humans consume. The worker bees play the role of converting nectar into honey using their enzymes. Moreover, honeybees also provide pollination services, and this is where bee brokers come in. A bee broker may be described as the individual who is in the honeybee business for commercial purposes. They engage in a number of activities which we shall discuss in this article.

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